This was Jing Zhe's second time entering the cabin. However, when he came over earlier, it was pitch black, and he and Wang Yingqiu carried lanterns and went into the nearest room without observing carefully.
Upon entering, candlelight was hung on both sides of the narrow cabin corridor, making the cabin fairly bright.
Names were written outside the side rooms. Jing Zhe looked them over and found that the men's rooms were all outside, and each one was separated by a room. Guards stood outside the separated rooms, presumably to protect them nearby, as it would be safer to live next door.
Further inside were the private rooms of Su Mochen, Zhu Xinning, and Wang Yingqiu. Even Guizhi had her own room. Perhaps to maintain the separation between men and women, their rooms were adjacent to each other, with no guards living in between.
The four of them had rooms separated from the men's rooms by several rooms, and Jing Zhe's room was the innermost one, which happened to be the closest to them.
Jing Zhe was overjoyed. Such a favorable position! He would go find someone later—but who should he look for?
Jing Zhe met his second sister today but they didn't acknowledge each other. He was already impatient, but he also wanted to see Su Mochen. Back in Yongzhou, they were inseparable. Now that they've been apart for so long, he honestly misses her a little.
But now there were still guards entering the cabin one after another on the deck, which wouldn't be good for others to see, so he went inside first.
The outside quickly quieted down. Jing Zhe pressed his ear to the door, listened for a while, then gently opened the door a crack, preparing to peek out.
Before he could even stick his head out, a fragrant breeze wafted by, and a beautiful figure pushed him inside.
"..."
I looked up and was stunned.
Turns out there were people even more impatient than him!
Besides his second sister Zhu Xinning, who else is there!
"Zhe'er!"
Zhu Xinning entered the room and looked at Jing Zhe up close. She could no longer hold back her tears and instantly became a sobbing mess. The aloof and dignified demeanor of "Zhu Sheren" vanished in an instant.
Jing Zhe didn't know how to comfort her, so he naturally reached out and pulled Zhu Xinning to his side.
Zhu Xinning threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, her shoulders heaving, and she choked back tears.
Jing Zhe patted her shoulder and said softly, "Second Sister, let's sit down and talk!"
After a moment, Zhu Xinning finally nodded, but she seemed to have little strength and could only sit down with the help of Jing Zhe.
Then he pointed to the door and ordered, "Lock the door!"
Jing Zhe was a little confused. The two of them didn't have any shady relationship, so why lock the door?
But she still obediently went over and asked as she locked the door, "Second sister, why do you need to lock the door?"
Zhu Xinning didn't answer, but suddenly raised her head and asked, "Zhe'er, what did you just call me?"
Because Jing Zhe was still young when Lu Li left home, and no one had told him about this, Jing Zhe had called Zhu Xinning "elder sister" since he could remember. When she suddenly called her "second sister," it sounded awkward to her.
In fact, Jing Zhe had already called her once before, but Zhu Xinning was too busy crying to hear clearly. After hearing clearly, she naturally had to ask.
"Second Sister!"
"You...have you seen your older sister?"
This is what Zhu Xinning is curious about.
So, Jing Zhe recounted his encounter with Lu Li on Mangshan Mountain, and Zhu Xinning nodded repeatedly after listening.
"Zhe'er, are your father and mother... alright?"
It is said that one should not travel far while one's parents are alive, but Jing Zhe came out alone. She suddenly had a bad feeling and said in a trembling voice.
"My parents... passed away three years ago..."
After hearing his words, Zhu Xinning threw herself into Jing Zhe's arms and sobbed again, only calming down after a long time.
"Did your parents leave any instructions before they passed away?"
When she asked him, Jing Zhe remembered that Jing Wenmao had given him a letter to give to Zhu Xinning, which even Lu Li hadn't seen.
Jing Zhe quickly took it out, and Zhu Xinning opened it and looked at it carefully, her cheeks becoming increasingly red. This made Jing Zhe even more curious about the contents of the letter, and he couldn't help but ask, "Second sister, what does the letter say?"
After saying that, he leaned forward, ready to take a peek.
"ah--"
Zhu Xinning, like a frightened bird, took a step back and looked at Jing Zhe warily. "N-nothing...it's just that I was told to take good care of Zhe'er..."
Looking at Zhu Xinning's beautiful face, which was flushed and almost translucent, Jing Zhe was not entirely convinced by this explanation and said suspiciously, "Then let me see."
As he spoke, he reached out to snatch it.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Xinning became even more agitated. She quickly clutched the letter to her bulging chest and scolded, "This was given to me by my parents. Zhe'er, how could you snatch it like that?"
After they finished speaking, they both suddenly froze.
This act of grabbing and blaming evokes a strong sense of childhood.
They looked at each other and smiled, then clasped their hands tightly together.
It turns out that love does not diminish or disappear with time.
But what kind of love has this turned into? Who can say for sure?
...
Just as Zhu Xinning slipped into Jing Zhe's room, Su Xinping came out of the house carrying a pot of strong liquor. He stood outside Su Moyan's room, glanced at it, and noticed that the lights inside were off before cautiously entering Su Mowu's room.
Like him, Su Mowu was not in the mood to sleep at the moment.
He hadn't expected Jing Zhe to be even more formidable than the rumors suggested, completely disrupting his plans.
Su Mochen and Su Moyan have had a good relationship since childhood, and Su Mochen is the only one favored by Emperor An. If Su Mochen marries into Southern Qi, Su Moyan will inevitably lose his support and will be no match for him.
But if Su Mochen stayed, his chances of winning would be lower…
When Su Xinping entered the room and saw Su Mowu looking at a loss, he immediately guessed the reason and his eyes sharpened: "Your Highness, Jing Zhe cannot be allowed to live!"
Su Mowu glanced at him but did not reply.
Who doesn't know the feud between the Jing family and the Prince of Jin?
Su Xinping seems to have a conflict with Jing Zhe, so saying this inevitably implies that he is being used as a pawn.
Seemingly guessing Su Mowu's thoughts, Su Xinping immediately defended himself: "Your Highness, I said all this for your sake!"
Su Mowu then spoke: "You just heard Grand Tutor Bai say that even if you can't befriend someone, you can't be their enemy. Now you want me to get rid of him?"
"Your Highness, it is precisely because Grand Tutor Bai values Jing Zhe so highly that he cannot be allowed to live!"
Su Xinping continued, "I sent someone to inquire, and it turns out that Princess Mo Chen met Jing Zhe when she went to Yongzhou. They spent more than a month together and became very close! They even returned to Jingzhou together, but Jing Zhe got off the carriage halfway! Because of this, Princess Mo Chen sent people to look for him!"
"And today His Majesty has shown appreciation for Jing Zhe. Given his relationship with Princess Mo Chen, once he enters the palace, he will inevitably become the Crown Prince's right-hand man. Your Highness, then it will be even more difficult for us to carry out our plans!"
After listening to Su Xinping's analysis, Su Mowu recalled the scene of Su Moyan and Jing Zhe chatting happily in the backyard of Wuxian Garden.
Everything seemed to point to the fact that Jing Zhe would only join his opposition, and would not be used by him.
As a result, Su Mowu frowned and his eyes turned cold.
————
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